Houzz Tour: Mixing It Up in a Century-Old Edwardian

Different eras, patterns and textures mingle beautifully in a Canadian interior designer's home and 'design lab'

Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.

Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More

We get to see the results of designers' hard work for their clients here on Houzz, but we don't often get to peek into their own homes. For interior designer Shirley Meisels, her house is a reflection of her family's lifestyle and collections, and it also serves as a design laboratory where she can experiment with ideas and test products and materials.

"Over the years I have had the opportunity to collect various objects and furnishings that I love — since this has happened over time, my home has an eclectic, almost 'accidental,' feeling," she says. In her work she strives to give her clients' homes that same casual yet pulled-together, collected-over-time look.

Meisels and her blended family moved into this hundred-year-old Edwardian house in Toronto in early 2013. They chose it because it was the right size, it was structurally sound and it had a nice flow. It only needed a facelift, which she pushed hard to complete in six weeks. Here's how this self-confessed "clutter nut" has chicly organized and designed the house for family life.

"We love the flow of the house and that it has the perfect amount of space when we are all together, enough to feel spacious but not vast. I hate the idea of heating rooms that no one uses," Meisels says.

She makes the space work by having a place for everything. In the entryway she insists upon a designated place to drop bags, keys, mail, coats and shoes. A custom wardrobe by Mhouse serves as a coat closet.

"At the same time I like some kind of dramatic design detail that will wow guests as they first enter — in this case the oversized mirror really has impact," she says. A Sputnik chandelier foreshadows more retro style moves in the rest of the house.

Console table: Ikea; rug: Elte

The home originally had transitional style, with yellow walls and oak trim. Meisels painted everything with Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace, using washable flat on the walls and satin finish on the trim.

In addition to all of that painting, renovations included replacing all the flooring, cutting a window and sidelights into the front door, adding air conditioning, renovating the powder room, replacing radiators, completing a master bathroom that had been roughed in, working on the kitchen (more on that later), adding built-ins and reconfiguring closets. Later on the couple dug down and finished the basement, which took another six weeks.

AFTER: Through the entryway a glimpse of a wall mural by Lulie Wallace draws you into the house. "I thought that would be a fun corner to add a pop of color and pattern without overwhelming the hallway," Meisels says.

Just off the entryway, the living room features a beautiful bay window and fireplace. This is the old furniture and rug setup.

AFTER: The bay window inspired the circular rug, which allows for a casual furniture layout and creates an intimate conversation area. The couple uses the room when they have friends over, and the kids like to watch TV in here while they wait for dinner. After dinner they often head to the basement for movies and video games; it's a larger playspace.

Meisels painted the previously yellow fireplace surround white and replaced the hearth with a marble mosaic and black marble border.

"I love vintage pottery for its color, texture and shape," she says. "In former homes the collection was scattered, but here I grouped them all together for big impact and a focal point the moment you walk in."

"Color just makes me happy," she says. "By adding pops of color in strategic spots, it can be really easy to live with without being an overwhelming commitment." Pillows and ombré window treatments add the right dose of electric yellow to the living room.

"I liked the way this lamp has a quirky organic feeling to it, reminiscent of branches, and the gold adds a hint of glam," she says.

The living room opens to the dining room, which has a glamorous retro vibe.

Tip: Take inspiration for an entire room from one piece. A favorite 5- by 7-foot painting set the tone for the rest of this room, which is largely black and white; the only other colors come in through the wood and chrome.

Chairs: CB2; art: Jason Schwartz; light fixture: vintage

Kitchen renovations included refacing these old cabinets with walnut doors and removing the upper cabinets, adding a new backsplash and installing a new eating counter/desk at the back window.

AFTER: "The kitchen looked as if it had doubled in size after taking down the upper cabinets," Meisels says.

With open shelving, Meisels recommends storing a matching set of dishes to make the look more uniform. Note how neat and artistic the white china looks against the white tile and shelves here.

Tip: "The best trick for kitchen storage is to keep what you use close at hand. The rest needs to be purged," Meisels says. "Items that are a must but hard to store, I keep in the basement — for example, that superhuge stock pot only used a couple of times a year."

A new corner breakfast counter overlooks the garden. "There was enough space left over to add a comfy chair — the best seat in the house!" Meisels says. The Womb Chair and Ottoman make for a great spot where someone can keep the cook company and enjoy a morning coffee.

Tip: To cut down on clutter, have a place for everything. "I think that if there is an easy and reasonable place for everything, then the clutter can be contained," Meisels says. The counter has three drawers in it, one for each child's drawings and other things. "When they start to overflow, then that child is responsible for cleaning it out and only keeping what's important to them," Meisels says. "I tried to find practical solutions like this so that everyone can feel comfortable and at home ... and I could keep my sanity!"

A long, narrow room upstairs serves as Meisels' office, complete with a desk for her and a desk for her assistant. A USM Haller Credenza gives her a place to keep files and samples organized and out of sight. It also adds a bold dollop of golden yellow.

Sloped ceilings dictated some of the furniture layout in the third-floor master suite, and also make things cozy.

Tip: For easy mixing, go monochromatic. "The trick is not to fuss about matching," Meisels advises. "Creams and white, grays and beige ... being a bit off is a good thing." She also recommends varying textures within the monochromatic scheme.

Meisels had benches from Target upholstered in Missoni fabric for the master closet. She fit a rack for hanging clothes under the sloping ceiling and stores shoes and folded clothing in the tall dresser and mirrored cabinets.

The master bath had been roughed in already, leaving a blank slate for Meisels' design ideas. The sloped ceiling presented some layout challenges. "At first the room seemed so huge, until I realized half of it was unusable for anything else other than a tub," she says. "In the end I'm very happy with it — the sloped roof highlights the clean lines of the tub."

Meisels' stepson's room doesn't have a closet, so she created lots of storage by flanking the bed with cabinets from Ikea. The shelves are custom and give the whole wall a built-in look; they also serve as a nightstand.

A mix of bold patterns enlivens Meisels' daughter's room. "Kids' rooms are a great place to throw caution to the wind and just mix what you love," she says. "Though the patterns are disparate, they are graphic and simple — this makes them marry together in a cohesive way."

Resale is an important consideration if you know you are going to be moving within a year or two. Otherwise, the thought of ever having to design my own home for some theoretical resale to an anonymous person in the far-off future is very depressing to me. People should renovate with their own futures in their homes in mind and create environments they love. It's so important to live in a place that functions/enhances the way you and your family live.

I love the way designers like Shirley change things up and fearlessly use their own homes as test labs for new design ideas. I envy that. I wish I could afford to get rid of the impractical, dated, mold-attracting travertine in my bathroom that was so very resale-friendly in 2001, the last time my home was renovated, and replace it with tile like Shirley's.

I appreciate the creativity but am always sad to see a beautiful old home made so contemporary. Having said that, I can also say that the designer is very talented and did a great job - it's just not my taste. I do like the painted wood in the entryway. It brightens things up so much and I think the details look almost sculptural.

Definitely like the new kitchen much better (nice dark metal handles)!!!
Love the whole house feeling, modern yet warm, neutral with the right amount of color splash, silver and gold tones mixed in perfect harmony, great job!!!!

That was such a gorgrous historic home, with so many stunning original features. I cant believe all that gorgous Edwarnian style timber pannelling was removed or covered or PAINTED OVER... Im not saying I dont like the reno, I just think it ruined a little piece of history is all... They dont make em like that anymore :(

Fresh (open and clean kitchen), original (choice of dining room chairs), good mix of new and old (everywhere!), great color combo (love the "fading color" curtains in living area), interesting details (tiles in bathroom)!

Gorgeous home and the end result is so bright and clean… But as someone restoring an old house (with ALL painted woodwork,) I sort of sighed at the wainscoting getting painted. Not even from a restoration-mindset, (we haven’t stripped ours,) but just re-painting our 12,000 miles of trim has been a massive task and now whenever I see someone choose to paint, I want to shout—don’t do it!!

Gorgeous! The before kitchen was fine, but I think it did seem a bit dated (like 90s super-contemporary) and definitely looks larger without the upper cabinets. I'm surprised there aren't outraged comments about painting the oak, but I think it looks so much better and cohesive after being painted.

Very nice but a shame to paint over the oak woodwork - it was popular in the 70's then in the 80's people stripped it and 20 years from now someone will have to go through the same job again....so if it was my house I would take the hall and living room back to where they were as the oak woodwork is a sign of high quality construction. ( A lower end builder would have put in pine that would have been painted)

What I applaud most is the mix: it's easy to have everything custom made, but you need true talent to incorporate relatively cheap finds from Target and Ikea into a sophisticated setting. The style of the new kitchen is also much more appropriate, and I absolutely adore the floor tiles in the master bath. The only thing I stumbled upon was the shower curb. Overall, a very tasteful redo!

When we bought our 100 year old house, I had dreams of removing paint from the beautiful dark walnut woodwork in the house. In the few spots where I spent hours removing the paint, I discovered patches of mismatched wood and holes filled with putty. I've since painted it all with a bright white semi gloss that shows the details beautifully while hiding the imperfections. It definitely brightens the rooms too.

I have a similar Edwardian in Toronto. The wood however is not as nice. It's nicked and patched up. More than half of the wood has now been painted out ( rest to follow after reno) and agree with Sandra above that the right colour brings out the beauty of the architecture. It also lightens up the space considerably without making any other changes in wall / ceiling colours, flooring, furniture, etc. People shouldn't assume that we're painting the wood out because it was necessarily in great shape to begin with.

At risk of being flogged by the rest of you--I am saddened to see the wood in the entryway painted. Yes it looks fresh and bright. So what? Everything looks that way when it's brand new. But it's lost its character. And proper lighting and furnishings could have lifted the space (it looks dreary in the before pic because there's nothing else in the space). The real challenge is to work WITH, not to take the easy way out and ERASE.

(Sometimes I think the hoards of HGTV wannabes out there would paint out the Sistine chapel, just to "freshen it up" and match the new tea towels they just got from target.)

@jpp221. I won't flog you, but I personally prefer painted wood over au naturel in my house and it looks like I'm not alone. Haha !Actually I'm currently painting an antique dresser that we bought 25 (or so) years ago, from money we received when we got married. It is an oak dresser that we've cherished all this time. However, at this moment I'm giving it a new lease of life by painting it so that we can appreciate it for many more years to come.

You guys are making me think that a "to paint or not to paint wood trim" ideabook examining both preferences would be a good one, with interviews and good examples on both sides of the argument. Of course, we have so many ideabooks, someone has probably already done it!

It is getting depressing to to see so many articles showing old houses being ruined. Please don't destroy any more beauty. If you want a sterile white house with a modern look, then buy a newer house to begin with. A crying shame to paint over beautiful wood!

I agree with the above comment - In the case of this house the living room woodwork had already been painted - so it it is possible and interesting to shake things up with modern furniture in that room and leave the entrance alone. This is the first of all the Houzz before and after articles where I liked the before more. I do admit that I am not a fan of white houses - I love the challenge of getting colour right.

First photo - I was in love! But then I scrolled down to the 'before' photo and my heart broke a little. That gorgeous oak trim! I think when you buy an old house, you aren't just an owner, you're a little bit of a steward as well. The characterless tile floor in that foyer - lose it. The wall paint - change it out. But paint over that gorgeous oak paneling? WHY? I think the slick, modern finishes will date themselves quickly, while the original craftsmanship of the interior would last through many style changes. Someone down the line (maybe even these owners) is going to have a real task ahead of them restoring that wood.

I like the 'after' in the stairway. Historical wood is beautiful, but can also be dark, heavy, and rather depressing in a long winter. My issue is it all looks like a catalogue of what's trendy. White walls, womb chair, chevrons, funky metal chandelier, sign saying "EAT" (because it's awesome to dine in a room where the wall yells at you!), silhouette art... I'm astonished there aren't any antlers or color-coded book stacks in sight!

To all the nay sayers on white painted wood. Have you ever lived in a place where winters are dark and gloomy ? In that case you should at least understand that wood absorbs every speckle of light that might enter the house. Light coloured surfaces reflect that light and will let it bounce around a little.Some people (myself included) don't function well in darkness and we need every ray of light'ness' we can get. Why would we need to go and live in a modern box ? I don't get that ?? Cottage interriors have been white washed for centuries.

I can tell you that that stair case wood and trim are not original to an Edwardian house, they have the look and feel of tudor style and are a recent addition to this space. So there is no historic issue to consider here. The oak grain was very aggressive and overpowering and not Edwardian in the least. I would never have considered leaving it the way it was, I would have hated it everytime I walked by the foyer. I don't think the finishes she chose will date quickly for most of the house as they create a timeless "box" that will age well. Some of the bathroom finishes could have made more of a reference to the past while still being modern looking but that would be the only thing I would have done a little different.

comment to Curleygirl from Montreal. The houses built about 100 years ago in NDG have exactly that staircaise - I have seen many. The house was from the Edwardian age but the staircase has a strong arts and crafts influence. I am however not that familar with Toronto construction but I have seeen that type in a 20's Toronto house of a friend.

Sorry to disagree with most of you, but I prefer the house the way it looked prior to the renovation. The painting of the beautiful wood trim and the addition of modern fixtures and furnishings just do not fit with this style of house. Some day when painted doors and trim are not in vogue you will all be extremely sorry you painted the beautiful original wood just to be "in" with the present day décor.

I loved the work that was done in this house-the heavy woodwork was lightened up so that it is now much more livable and the furniture is just beautiful-stunning finishes, great balance and design aesthetic!

This is a place to discuss, with manners. Please practice the golden rule and say things they way you would like someone to say them to you. Write them with the same tone with which you'd have the courage to say your comments to a homeowner's face.

And remember that this is Shirley's house. No one lives there but her and her family, and they can do what they want with it for the way that they want to live in their own home to their tastes, not some theoretical future homeowner, who apparently, loves a lot of oppressive oak that may or may not be original to the house. This isn't Colonial Williamsburg, frozen in time. A house is not a museum. It evolves over the decades.

As someone with a bias against painted oak woodwork - I could have noted that this is clearly a very very well designed house and I really like the second floor and it is clearly 100% in line with current design trends. We traditionalists tend to like to see that traditional features are not removed since there are so few 100 year old houses in Canada. In Europe everyone seems to modernize old houses since they have so many of them.

If I posted my house on the open internet, I'd expect, as humans vary, some people to love it and some people to loathe it. If I expected only praise, I'd post it to my friends, not a public website. ...And come to think of it, at least one of my friends would do that frozen-expression "it's... interesting" thing that really says "I loathe this" because she hates bright color. As long as you like your house, what difference does it make that anonymous people on the web aren't fond of it?

I am delighted that you painted the staircase and hall trim. It looks amazing. I painted the spindles on my oak staircase and I love the look and brightness it adds. Way to go! Your home is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!

Polarity, great points. Be careful though. You might get censored for that kind of talk (bad manners apparently).

Having said that, I love the renovation. I really like the fresh and modern feel the home has now. To me, the vintage and historic feel of the home is still there. I don't feel like the house has been bastardized, but tastefully modernized. I would have done some things differently ... But it's not my house. I got a lot of inspiration from the redo. Thank you homeowners and congratulations on a beautiful renovation!

I preferred the natural unpainted woodwork in the before picture of the front hall, but at least the owners opted for the lesser of two evils by painting it. The previous owners of our 133 year old home chose to remove all of the original woodwork and replaced it with modern ranch style woodwork. Most of the original 5-panel doors were replaced with cheap hollow-core doors. So, even though the owners of the beautiful Edwardian home chose to modernize with paint, at least the beauty has only been covered up and isn't gone forever.

Painting wood makes such a huge difference...lovely. More goes with painted wood than with natural and it opens up and lightens up a house. Stunning remodel! Love the punches of color and graphic patterns.

I commented on this already but it breaks my heart so much I can't stop thinking about it. I hate to see the owners get away with destroying one of the few historic houses left. If you want an ugly modern house, BUY an ugly modern house. Don't destroy a historic house! A historic house IS a museum & its owner has an OBLIGATION to preserve its original features. My house was built in 1780 but previous owners ripped out most of the original features in the 70s. If I were in charge, that would be illegal. The owner of this house should face a hefty fine & be required to immediately restore the house, taking the paint off that woodwork TODAY.

Ach Ach Ach @rowena28 . The owners didn't destroy anything ! They didn't rip anything out that was of historical value. Someone already said it, and it is also my view, that this wood paneling is a fairly recent addition.

Maybe it is also time people read up on their historical interior styles. But I won't hold my breath as they don't seem to be reading the comments here either.During Edwardian times wood paneling, skirting boards, picture rails, doors, etc were often PAINTED WHITE. Yes, PAINTED ! This as an immediate reaction to the stuffiness of the Victorian era.

There seems to be a notion out there that anything with age is "historic" and must be preserved. Residential architectural artifacts of earlier times do not, of themselves, automatically have intrinsic value beyond shelter to the occupant's taste. There are designated historic neighborhoods and properties, and preservation rules understandably apply to them. Personally, I prefer to see wood furniture restored rather than painted if the wood's in decent shape (oak excepted). Yet I live in a '60s house (not Victorian, I know) that was built with dark wood paneling, and I'm thankful that an earlier owner painted it white, leaving only the dark window trim and doors, saving me that trouble. Dark paneling is oppressive in this house and site and climate.

I respect rowena28's strong views on this topic, but I couldn't subscribe to her desire to hang a permanent "do not disturb" sign on any property not designated "historic" that would severely restrict future occupants. I think Meisels did an admirable job of tailoring her house to her family's needs. And I find the comments here interesting and appreciate that most are civil. Painting wood--furniture, wainscoting, or trim--really does seem to be a hot-button topic with passionate opinions on both sides.

OMG, painting that beautiful oak in the entryway just makes my heart break! My biggest fear, if we ever move from the house we're in, is that someone will paint our beautiful oak stairway, floor trim and crown moulding!!!!!!!!!!! AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because I find it dark and the opposite of uplifting, esp. during winters where it gets dark out early. Like it's dragging the room down, from the second one walks through the front door. I love molding in older homes; I appreciate natural wood in Tudor, Craftsman and Arts and Crafts homes, and in that type of home I would NOT paint it.

I grew up in a colonial style home (built in 1810, which was added onto and changed and evolved many times over the past 200 years, if it hadn't, my parents would be freezing without central heat during Boston winters, would be digging their cars out of piles of snow all winter not having a garage, and using an outhouse, oh, and it would still function as a Hingham bucket-making factory), and personally, I prefer painted molding. I also think painting the molding also matches the elegance of many Georgian homes.

It's interesting to think about the painting of molding, in the 1980s, colored trim and white walls seemed to be the way to do it, now painting the walls a color and the trim in white or off-white or cream is more popular, or doing them all in the same color. In Shirley's case, it is what works with her family's modern tastes and furniture - that heavy oak works with transitional and traditional styles, but not with her graphic and bold style, where the furniture, artwork and patterns take center stage.

Obviously, many people don't find it oppressive, not only is that obvious in general, but they have also stated it in this thread, many, many times over. I simply stated my opinion of the oak in this particular hallway, which is why I used words like "personally, I prefer" and also listed the styles of homes where I, personally, do appreciate natural wood.

I wonder if it is more an issue of their taste than the "dark" wood that drove the painting - look at the dark grey bath wall and the dark wood color kitchen cabinets - they are a lot darker than the relativey light color oak in the hall.

and Becky the older homes that I like the most have new wiring and potlights and new kitchens and new larger bathrooms and maybe a family room added at the back off the kitchen but have the original woodwork and mouldings in the entrnance and living and dining areas combining the best of old and new.

The homeowner didn't like the oak. Some of you do. You don't have to live there. Perhaps search Houzz for "oak molding" so you can look at some things you do like. We have plenty of it. No need to linger around something you don't like.

I have ( almost ) the same house as far as the bones go, and usually prefer painting out the gloomy wood. But I think that with this house the problem could also be the photos we are shown. The unpainted/original entranceway appears larger and part of a grander house. The painted out photo is taken from a different angle and the foyer is now smaller; the paint appears flat.
I prefer the original tiles in the hallway, the new floor coupled with the almost stark white gives the space a more informal feel.

The "to paint or not to paint" debate never ends, does it? It's not a cut and dry decision. Each home is unique, and sometimes that natural wood look simply doesn't work! To me it's obvious Shirley made the right choice. Comparing the before and after shots; before - the foyer is chopped in half, looks dated, heavy and stuffy with that busy, grainy wood. After - it's open, clean, bright, updated and feels larger for this young, modern family of 5. Each home and project is unique and there's a place for natural wood paneling. This was not it. The painted wainscotting has dimension and detail and looks stunning! It completely suits the home! How lucky they were to not have to install it themselves. Bravo! The entire home now has a great flow to it.

It's funny, after all of these comments, I talked to Shirley to see how she was feeling about it (she's just fine) and she said the oak was much later addition, that the house had been completely ripped up by a series of remodels over the years and had very little historic elements left inside, and that the back had already been "blown out." She also noted that the quality of the work on that oak trim was a "hack job" with odd pieces left sticking out and unfinished. If only I'd realized all of that before writing the story - I had no idea the BEFORE shot would cause such a strong reaction! Live and learn.

Today I'm working on a story about a 1790 fieldstone spring house in Pennsylvania that has undergone an amazing restoration so preservationists, be on the lookout for it in the next week or so - I think you will love it :)

debluetailfly: i totally agree with the sentiment. we own an edwardian and when renovating it, i tried to bring the place to the 21st century without ripping its soul. people say i succeeded. (i appreciate the amazing job this talented designer did to this house though. but it has nothing to do with my personal preference)